Over a relatively short period of time quality measurement, public performance reporting, and pay-for-performance have become established processes in the delivery, assessment and evaluation of medical care in North America. While this trend has been evolving over the past decade, the pace of change in the United States has accelerated since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. In October 2012, public reporting and value-based hospital funding of targeted disorders was introduced. In January 2015, value-based physician Medicare payments were introduced to physicians practicing in practice groups of greater than 100 physicians and will be extended to all physicians in 2017. At the same time, an increasing number of insurers, institutions, and certification agencies are introducing performance measures into their remuneration and certification strategies.

There is widespread agreement on the importance of measuring and optimizing the quality of medical care; however controversy exists around the best way to achieve this aim. This session will explore the opportunities and controversies of quality measurement in medical care with a particular focus on pay-for-performance. Are current quality programs heading in the right direction? Can quality measures really help physicians improve patient care? Are quality measures ever more harmful than helpful? Does pay-for-performance work? These are some of the questions that will be explored in this session.